By Rainer Sousa
When we work with nationalism, we always have to go back to a first definition, capable of deducing what the nation is. At first, we understand “nation” as a set of historical experiences, behaviors, beliefs and other habits that define the identity of a people. However, when we think about the nation, we see that the construction of a unique identity is always problematic and unfinished.
Despite this conceptual problem, we see that nationalism has developed in certain cultures, not only postulating the sharing of a collective identity, but also promoting certain truths and behaviors in relation to peoples who do not belonged to the same nation. In a way, when seeing its own limits, nationalism turns to the scope of differences to prioritize peoples and build a positive vision of its people.
Perceived more clearly in the 19th century, nationalist sentiment can be seen as one of the most significant developments generated by the French Revolution of 1789. When fighting against the impositions of absolutism, the French undertook the formulation of a broad discourse, in which the will of the people and the nation was confused with the desire to suspend any habit or law that established the privilege of a group to the detriment of the majority.
Even with visible problems, especially with regard to the conflict of interests between the bourgeoisie and the popular strata, nationalist sentiment was strengthened as an instrument of mobilization in the anti-monarchical movements that developed in Europe of the 19th century. In the same period, the nationalist wave also gained momentum with imperialism, which was based on the idea of a nation's superiority as a justification for its dominance in other regions of the world.
From a historical point of view, nationalism also came to foster the rivalries that would make sense of the First World War. After all, imperialist rivalries were always close to a discourse in which the interest of one nation should be above the “injurious” threats of other enemy nations. As a result, the notions of superiority and rivalry proved to be “central” in the organization of nationalist ideas.
Continuing through the 20th century, nationalism reached its most radical expression with the emergence of totalitarian movements in Europe. More than simply defenders of the nation, these movements took to themselves the idea that individual liberties should be suppressed in favor of a maximum leader, capable of translating and executing the desires of an entire collectivity. Looking at the horror and failure of the Second World War, we can see the tragic result of this kind of extreme expression.
Even today, despite globalization and the shortening of distances between peoples, nationalism still appears in the expression of some small groups that reject the contemporary ideal of integration. In some countries, the so-called neo-Nazis, also appear fed by a nationalism that repudiates the arrival of immigrants who leave their homeland in search of opportunities and better living conditions. Undoubtedly, the nationalist question is still moving in the present time.